I’ll save up money, be delighted with myself, then find something to blow it all on, like a holiday! Is there anything you regret spending money on? I see money as something that goes into your account and back out, then back in and back out. Life is too short to think about that particular kind of regret, and I also think life is too short not to spend your money. I lost nearly €30,000’Opens in new window ]What is your best habit when it comes to money?

Ireland’s Tadhg Beirne after his yellow card was upgraded to a red card during Saturday's Test match against New Zealand at Soldier Field. Photograph: Dan Sheridan/InphoThe relatively new 20-minute red card and bunker system were severely tested in Soldier Field last Saturday. His upgrading of Tadhg Beirne’s yellow to a red card was wrong – plain and simple. A huge amount of preparatory work is done by elite match officials in the area of in-game sanctions. Photograph: Gary Carr/InphoThere were other things in the performances of the match officials which should have been picked up.

I consider baling, but then I remind myself that I chose to do this – that it has been my dream for years to see the Northern Lights (aurora borealis), go husky mushing, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, and – yes – snowmobiling across a pristine wintry wilderness. (The Finnish word for the Northern Lights, “revontulet”, translates as “fire fox”.) Day two, and we’re off to spend the morning with fourth-generation Sámi reindeer herder Juha West and his octogenarian dad, Sulo. Getting there: The Aurora ZoneAurora borealis over Menesjärvi, Inari, FinlandBeing complete Lapland novices, we enlisted the help of Allan Cooper of specialist Northern Lights tour operator The Aurora Zone. We chose the Menesjärvi – Wilderness Auroras trip: three days, four nights.

People party at the 'Last Cheers, Queers' closing event at the SchwuZ club on November 1st in Berlin. “The Schlager naked party was always more joyful and relaxed than elsewhere, like the SchwuZ in general. In recent years the SchwuZ became a lightning rod for growing culture wars in the queer community over diversity, inclusivity and visibility. Previous regulars, in particular white German gay men, reported being turned away. “Everyone talks about the queer community,” said Dirk, “but I don’t think we all even want to party together.”

Photograph: Getty ImagesA record high of 408 babies were born to women aged 45 years and above in 2023, according to the Central Statistics Office (CSO). [ Births to women aged 40 and over increased by 21.5% in 10 yearsOpens in new window ]A record number of babies were born to women aged 45 years and above in 2023, the CSO report said. Twin children and singleton children had similar levels of daily physical activity. Almost a quarter of twin children reported exercising to lose or avoid gaining weight, compared to 31 per cent of singleton children. Almost two-thirds of twin children said they had never engaged in disruptive behaviour at school, compared to 57.6 per cent of singleton children.

The social media content was created and shared in June last year. File imageA man has appeared in court charged in connection with the alleged sharing of false information on social media relating to an international protection applicant. He was granted bail and is scheduled to appear at Bray District Court again on December 8th next. The social media content at the centre of the case was allegedly shared in June 2024. The post claimed the man was a migrant and had exposed himself to women and girls on the bus journey before falling asleep.

Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan said there has been 'a significant increase in the number of Ukrainians arriving into Ireland since September this year'. Photograph: CollinsNewly arrived Ukrainian refugees are to have their time in State-provided accommodation cut to 30 days under plans agreed by Ministers on Monday evening. A Cabinet committee meeting on migration agreed to cut the number of days that the State offers to new arrivals from Ukraine from 90 days to 30. Ministers were also due to consider proposals for accommodation charges for asylum seekers who have permission to work in Ireland. He told RTÉ he was proposing to reduce the length of time new arrivals are provided with accommodation.

Locals in Samangan, Afghanistan, walk among debris of a partially collapsed building following an earthquake that devastated the region. The US Geological Survey said the earthquake hit at a depth of 28km near Mazar-e Sharif, a city of about 523,000 people famous for its shrines and historic sites. The Blue Mosque sustained significant damage following an earthquake in Mazar-e Sharif, Afghanistan. The earthquake disrupted power across the country, including to the capital Kabul, national power supplier Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat said in a statement. Aid group Save The Children said the latest earthquake added to the humanitarian burden on the country, arriving just before winter when temperatures can drop below freezing.

In the same way that not all drivers can be, as most of us apparently imagine ourselves, better or safer than average, not everyone can live in areas with lower than average air pollution. We shouldn’t have school playgrounds next to big highways, but also we shouldn’t have anywhere it’s not safe to breathe. Even if you don’t care about social justice or the lives of children poorer than yours, air pollution moves. Their weight grinds down the roads, producing more particulates than lighter vehicles, they’re environmentally costly to make – and also, air pollution still moves. The structural problems are so big they’re painful and frightening to consider, but the answer isn’t to buy more stuff or try to spend your way to individual protection.

The process of German unification was poorly managed because it happened so rapidly. Unification has not produced a unity of minds, and the former East and West Germany continue to have very different political preferences. Those who advocate for an early referendum on Irish unification can learn lessons from the German experience. Reunification and adoption of the euro would mean rapid price convergence North and South, with northern prices rising rapidly. Any move to unification in the near future could prove very serious for an unprepared Northern Ireland economy.

Ryanair profits topped €2.5 billion in the six months to the end of September. The carrier’s profits climbed 42 per cent to €2.54 billion in the six months to the end of September. Passenger numbers rose 3 per cent to 119 million over the same period and revenues increased 13 per cent to €9.82 billion. Mr O’Leary (64) said he is open to staying at the airline beyond the end of his current contract. The airline also announced a dividend of 19.3 cent a share which will be paid to shareholders in February.

#20yrsago Sony releases de-rootkit-ifier, lies about risks from rootkits https://web.archive.org/web/20051126084940/http://www.freedom-to-tinker.com/?p=921#20yrsago Pew study: Kids remix like hell https://web.archive.org/web/20051104022412/http://www.pewinternet.org/PPF/r/166/source/rss/report_display.asp#15yrsago How I use the Internet when I’m playing with my kid https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2010/nov/02/cory-doctorow-children-and-computers#15yrsago Bedtime Story: Supernatural thriller about the dark side of “getting lost in a good book” https://memex.craphound.com/2010/11/02/bedtime-story-supernatural-thriller-about-the-dark-side-of-getting-lost-in-a-good-book/#10yrsago America’s a rigged carnival game that rips off the poor to fatten the rich https://web.archive.org/web/20151104012651/http://robertreich.org/post/132363519655#10yrsago As America’s middle class collapses, no one is buying stuff anymore https://web.archive.org/web/20151105142153/http://uk.businessinsider.com/the-disappearing-middle-class-is-threatening-major-retailers-2015-10#10yrsago Irish government to decriminalise personal quantities of many drugs https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/injection-rooms-for-addicts-to-open-next-year-in-drug-law-change-says-minister-1.2413509#10yrsago Book and Bed: Tokyo’s coffin hotel/bookstore https://bookandbedtokyo.com/en/#10yrsago Kim Stanley Robinson’s “Aurora”: space is bigger than you think https://memex.craphound.com/2015/11/02/kim-stanley-robinsons-aurora-space-is-bigger-than-you-think/#5yrsago Trustbusting Google https://pluralistic.net/2020/11/02/unborked/#borked#5yrsago Trump billed the White House $3 per glass of waterhttps://pluralistic.net/2020/11/02/unborked/#beltway-bandits#5yrsago Trump’s electoral equilibrium https://pluralistic.net/2020/11/02/unborked/#maso-fascism#1yrago Bluesky and enshittification https://pluralistic.net/2024/11/02/ulysses-pact/#tie-yourself-to-a-federated-mast

The climbers had set out on Saturday to scale Cima Vertana in the Ortler mountain range. Photograph: EPAFive German climbers have died after being caught in an avalanche in the Italian Alps, local authorities said on Sunday. The climbers had set out on Saturday to scale Cima Vertana in the Ortler mountain range near the village of Solda. The avalanche struck as they headed for the summit. The Ortler massif, part of the Italian Alps close to the Swiss border, is a popular destination for experienced hikers and climbers.

Munster SHC: Ballygunner (Waterford) 0-18 Na Piarsaigh (Limerick) 0-15And on they go. In all the hand-wringing about their autocratic dominance of the Waterford championship, very little heed is paid to Ballygunner’s extraordinary appetite. Na Piarsaigh took the lead for the only time in the game with eight minutes remaining and having led by five points early in the second half, Ballygunner had lost all momentum. The Limerick champions suddenly needed a goal and that had been a troublesome task all afternoon. According to Shane O’Neill, the Na Piarsaigh manager, they had 32 attempts at goal and scored with just 15 of them.

Fionnuala McCormack produced another fine run to finish in 10th place in the New York City Marathon, just seven weeks after finishing in ninth place at the World Championships. The testing 26.2-miles through the five city boroughs is no place for fast times, still McCormack clocked 2:27:00 – over three minutes faster than she ran at those World Championships in Tokyo. Last December McCormack improved her lifetime best to 2:23:46 in Valencia, four months after she became the first Irish woman to compete in five Olympics. The previous best Irish women’s finisher in New York was Sonia O’Sullivan, who finished in 12th place back in 2002, running 2:32:06, after dropping from the leaders around the 16-mile mark. Given New York’s testing course, McCormack was unlikely to challenge Catherina McKiernan’s Irish record of 2:22:23, which was set in Amsterdam back in 1998.